MARTINEAU, Harriet, English author, b. in
Norwich, England, 12 June, 1802; d. in Ambleside,
27 June, 1876. She was descended from a
family of French Huguenots that settled in
Norwich on the revocation of the edict of Nantes.
Her father was a manufacturer and died early,
leaving eight children unprovided for. Harriet
received a good education under the supervision of
her uncle, an eminent surgeon, but was compelled
to earn her own livelihood. Being afflicted, when
still young, with a constantly increasing deafness
and a total lack of the sense of smell, she found
her chief amusement in literary composition, and
ultimately decided to depend upon her pen for
support. In 1834-'6 she travelled extensively in the
United States, and on her return recorded her
impressions of American life and institutions in a
work entitled “Society in America” (3 vols.,
London, 1837). She also published “Retrospect of
Western Travel” (3 vols., 1838), which gave more
of her personal experiences. Her health became so
seriously affected in 1839 that she was long obliged
to desist from all literary occupation. On recovering,
through the agency, as she believed, of animal
magnetism, she published in 1844 an account
of the treatment in a letter which excited much
attention. In 1852 Miss Martineau formed a
connection with the London “Daily News,” to which
she contributed leading articles and biographical
and other papers. At her death she left in the
office of the above-mentioned journal an
“Autobiography,” written in 1855, which was published
posthumously (London, 1877; Boston, 1877). Miss
Martineau's writings are very numerous and
include travels, works on history, political economy,
and philosophy, and stories for children. Besides
those already mentioned, she published two books
referring to the United States, “The Martyr Age”
(New York, 1839) and “History of the American
Compromises” (1856).